A Glimpse into the River of Time (Seeking Collection)

In the Star Dou Great Forest, ancient trees towered into the sky and vines hung low, while the faint roars of beasts echoed in the distance.

Qian Daoliu led the team personally, accompanied by Gu Han and Qian Renxue; the trio moved through the forest as if taking a stroll, though it was not for a lack of soul beasts.

In truth, any low-level soul beast that sensed Qian Daoliu's aura as they passed would flee in terror, not daring to even glance in their direction.

Qian Daoliu's goal was clear: to find a light-attribute soul beast for Qian Renxue with a cultivation between 1,500 and 2,000 years.

Given Qian Renxue's talent and constitution, absorbing a third soul ring of this age would be simple, and with him there to protect her, no issues would arise.

"Xue'er, there is a 1,700-year-old 'Light Bird' ahead. Its attributes are a perfect match for you; it can serve as a candidate." Qian Daoliu had merely swept his divine sense across the area to lock onto the target.

Qian Renxue nodded and was about to speak, but Gu Han, standing to the side, frowned slightly.

His [Karma Sight] had been active the entire time, observing the surroundings.

Just as Qian Daoliu pointed out the location of the Light Bird, Gu Han clearly saw an extremely faint golden thread of karma in a deeper part of that region.

It resonated with the Angel martial soul within Qian Renxue with an intensity far greater and more dazzling than the thread connecting her to the Light Bird.

"Grandfather, Sister Xue," Gu Han couldn't help but speak up, pointing in that direction, "I feel like there is a more suitable soul beast over there."

Qian Daoliu glanced at Gu Han with slight surprise, as he had not sensed any particularly powerful light-attribute soul beast in that direction.

However, recalling Gu Han's martial soul that could see through karma, as well as the oracle from the Angel God, he pondered for a moment before nodding. "Let us go and take a look."

The three immediately changed direction and headed deeper into the forest toward the spot Gu Han indicated.

As they drew closer, Qian Daoliu's expression grew increasingly surprised; he, too, began to faintly perceive a restrained but pure aura of light.

Passing through a dense thicket, the three arrived at a small clearing. In the center, beside a clear spring, a soul beast lay prone.

It resembled a deer, its entire body snow-white, its fur emitting a soft, pearlescent glow.

The antlers atop its head were not like those of ordinary deer; they were formed from pure light crystals, shimmering with a peculiar halo.

Most unique of all were its eyes, which were golden and appeared incredibly gentle.

"This is... a Holy Light Feather Deer?"

A flicker of astonishment crossed Qian Daoliu's eyes.

One had to know that a Holy Light Feather Deer had not been seen for a very long time.

"Judging by its aura, its cultivation is at least 15,000 years. This type of soul beast is extremely rare, naturally gentle, and possesses incredibly pure light soul power."

"However, a ten-thousand-year soul ring is absolutely not something a level 30 Soul Grandmaster can withstand." His tone carried a hint of regret; no matter how good the beast was, Qian Renxue could not absorb it.

Qian Renxue looked at the beautiful creature with eyes full of affection, but upon hearing her grandfather's words, her little face fell.

Gu Han's eyes, however, were gleaming. In his Karma Sight, the golden thread of karma between Qian Renxue and the Holy Light Feather Deer was trembling violently, radiating a powerful sense of compatibility.

"Perhaps we can try," Gu Han said, taking a deep breath and stepping forward.

"Little Han, do not be reckless!" Qian Daoliu frowned; the energy of a ten-thousand-year soul ring was enough to burst a level 30 soul master.

"Grandfather, I do not mean for Sister Xue to absorb it by force."

Gu Han looked at Qian Daoliu with firm eyes, then turned to the Holy Light Feather Deer, which seemed to have noticed them but did not flee, instead watching them with curiosity.

"My martial soul can perhaps build a 'bridge' to connect them," Gu Han said softly.

"A bridge?" Qian Daoliu was left bewildered by these words.

Gu Han did not offer an explanation. He raised his hand, and the phantom of the Karma Scissors appeared in his palm as two purple soul rings rose from beneath his feet.

The blood-red thread of karma remained coiled around the Karma Scissors, but at this moment, the power Gu Han channeled seemed to belong to a soul skill he would possess in the future.

"Although I can only use a small portion, it is enough."

He closed his eyes and focused all his senses. Reaching beyond his current soul skills, he touched upon a vague ability inherent to the origin of the Karma Scissors: [Karma Grafting].

Using himself as a medium, at a great cost, he could briefly graft and reshape karma.

"Karma Grafting, activate!" Suddenly, he felt a surge of soul power from the future pouring into his martial soul.

Faintly, the phantom of the River of Time flickered above the Star Dou Great Forest, and his face instantly turned deathly pale.

He manipulated the Karma Scissors—not to cut the thread of karma, but with immense difficulty, to link the thread connecting Qian Renxue to the impossible ten-thousand-year ring with another, faint thread of karma representing the Holy Light Feather Deer's willingness to sacrifice itself.

The process far exceeded his current soul power reserves; his energy poured out like a flood, his mental strength was rapidly depleted, and blood even began to seep from his nose and mouth.

Qian Daoliu's pupils constricted. He clearly felt a law of the world spreading out from Gu Han, interfering with reality itself.

"Moo—"

At that moment, the Holy Light Feather Deer let out a long, resonant cry.

A flash of realization crossed its eyes. It slowly stood up, lowered its head toward Qian Renxue, and its crystalline antlers emitted a gentle light as it reached out toward her.

Under Gu Han's guidance, it had truly chosen the most gentle form of sacrifice. The violent aura typical of a ten-thousand-year soul beast within the ring was reduced to its minimum, leaving only the purest essence of light.

"Sister Xue, hurry!" Gu Han shouted weakly, barely able to stand.

Though shocked, Qian Renxue trusted Gu Han implicitly and immediately sat cross-legged, guiding the black soul ring into her body.

The process remained painful, but the energy of the soul ring was uncharacteristically docile, slowly cleansing Qian Renxue's meridians and her martial soul.

Looking closely, a thin golden thread could be seen within the inner ring of the black spirit ring.

[Ding! Successfully altered the plot node "Qian Renxue's Third Spirit Ring" by a large margin, enabling her to exceed the limit and absorb a ten-thousand-year spirit ring! Reward: 500 Magic Modification Points! Reward: One instance of Mental Power Enhancement!]

Qian Daoliu had lived for a long time, yet this was the first time he had witnessed such an incredible scene. He looked at Gu Han, who was nearly collapsed from spirit power exhaustion, his eyes filled with complex emotions that were difficult to put into words.

This kid actually pulled it off; it is truly unheard of.

However, the moment Qian Renxue finished absorbing the spirit ring and stabilized, Gu Han suffered a severe backlash from forcibly using a spirit skill far beyond his own cultivation level.

He let out a muffled groan, feeling his consciousness being violently pulled by an invisible force. His vision went black, and he plummeted into a bottomless abyss.

When he regained his senses, he found that he was no longer in the Star Dou Great Forest, but floating within a river.

There was no up, down, left, or right here, nor any sense of the passage of time.

Surrounding him were countless "lines" that crisscrossed and shimmered with various colors.

Some of these lines were as thick as giant dragons;

Others were as thin as gossamer, feeling as though they would snap at the slightest touch;

Some shone with brilliant golden light, while others were a piercing, blood-red hue;

Some extended toward the past, while others reached into a blurred future.

Thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of millions of Lines of Karma remained in their proper places above this river.

This place feels so familiar. Could it be the River of Time?